


Returning

by theshippingexpress



Category: Shall We Date?: Wizardess Heart+
Genre: Alternative route, F/M, Goldstein drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-05-14 18:54:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14775281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theshippingexpress/pseuds/theshippingexpress
Summary: An alternative take on Al's route, where Alfonse, desperate to make amends, returns home for the summer. However, there are certain conditions..





	1. A Million Tries

My third year at Gedolune Royal Academy had been busier than ever; I had become a Prefect, we had stopped the Raging Wizardess and the BBW. The summer holidays were soon approaching, but there was one more big project that I wanted to accomplish while everyone was still together. That is.. if I could get everyone to work together. ..If I could actually get everyone to work together.  
“Back off!” a voice growled, and I looked to see my companions trailing behind me, arguing once more. Well, if you could call it an argument, when it was more of.. one party screaming at the other. As usual. “Why you decided to come along-”  
“Because I invited Al, remember?” I interjected, turning to look at our group. There was the Zeus and Hiro, the two Prefects of the Night Class. There was Klaus Goldstein, a former Prefect who now worked for the Ministry; he was the one who had been yelling. And then there were my fellow Day Class Prefects: Caesar Baroque, a guy who would turn into a pig if kissed, and Al, a mysterious man who was currently the target of Klaus's vitriol.  
“I asked you all here because I need all four of you if we're going to get this done. We've tried this a million different ways, but I feel like we can actually get this done this time!”  
“Am I interrupting something?”  
I looked up to see the young man who was at the heart of this, Lucious Duller, the Cursed Prince. He had been trapped in this cursed labyrinth since long before any of us were even born, and I had made it my mission to free him. Somehow.  
“Klaus is just at Al's throat again,” Zeus said with a wave of his hand, trying to lighten the mood. “Let's get this done, shall we?”

* * *

“I don't understand why that didn't work!”  
Alfonse offered me a sympathetic smile as I looked over the books of light magic. We must have been here a million times before, but none of it had actually been of any use.  
“We'll find a way,” he said gently, taking my hand. “But, Liz, please don't overwork yourself; you're not going to be any help if you get sick.”  
I took a deep breath, nodding. “You're right. We're going to get through this.”  
“And you're sure that he won't flee before we try again?” a voice asked, and I groaned. I looked up to see Klaus standing in the doorway. Alfonse practically _deflated_ as he heard Klaus's voice.  
“Klaus, can you at least try to not be so harsh? We need to work together if we want to-”  
“This _is_ me being polite,” he said plainly. “If it was up to me, I wouldn't work with him at all. And I suggest you see that before you end up getting hurt too.”  
Alfonse abruptly stood up. “Let's take this discussion somewhere else, Klaus,” he said, strolling past me. For once, Klaus didn't argue, following him. Al smiled at me as he walked by, as if reassuring me that everything would be all right.

I walked by on my way to grab another book, and I could still hear raised voices on the other side of the door. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but I could have sworn that I even heard Al's voice yelling back. Trying to get Klaus to be nice to Alfonse was like pulling teeth.  
'What am I going to do?' I thought, and I turned back to the bookshelf. 'Oh?' A book caught my eye, and something told me that this one might be the key.


	2. Celebration

Okay, with my book tucked under my arm, and my fellow Prefects by my side, we started on attempt number 1001.

“Everyone ready?” Each of them nodded, readying their wands. Lucious faced us, raising his chin. “Okay then, follow after me,” I said, as I raised my wand, and I began to chant the spell.

* * *

 

“So now I finally get to go to this famous Night Cafe?”

"Sure, Lucy, anything you want!” Laughter filled the air as we made the trip to the station for the very last time, with Lucious in tow. Well, most of them were walking, but the spell had taken almost all of my magic, so Alfonse was half-carrying me, my arm slung over his shoulder. The others weren't far ahead, but they were all teasing Lucious, patting him on the back and making plans. Even Klaus was smiling and chatting amicably.

“Are you doing all right?” Al asked quietly. “I can carry you if need be.” I quickly looked away, my face turning bright red. I know he meant it innocently, but I would never hear the end of it from the others if he carried me!

“I'm fine! I'll just be glad never to see this place again,” I said hurriedly, trying to pull us along faster. “We'll have ourselves a celebration!”

“Sure, drinks are on me!” Zeus declared. “We'll show you a true Night Class party!”

* * *

 

The night was wearing on, and we were still at the cafe.

" _Al_! Put the book down!” a voice in the background yelled, and I turned to my friends at my table. Drunk Al was not a pretty sight, but I was sure that they could handle it.

“So, Liz,” Caesar, grinning from ear to ear, asked, “have you considered what you're doing for the summer holidays?”

“Well, Amelia's already invited me to spend the summer with her family, like last year,” I explained, trying to stay upright in my seat. Was I looking at Caesar? I wasn't that drunk! “I guess I could go with them again, we had fun last year-”

“Why don't you stay with us?” And I'm pretty sure that I sobered up instantly when Klaus made his offer. The Goldsteins were a very noble family, one that I'd been hearing about for three years, and to stay with them was- it was as unbelievable as when I'd been nominated as Prefect. “Our parents wouldn't mind; they've heard a lot about you from me and Elias.” Elias was his brother and a classmate of ours. “Plus, it never hurts to make connections.”

In all honesty, I probably should have said no. But what came out instead was, “Sure! I'd love to meet your family!”

“Another drink!” I heard in the background, and I'm pretty sure that was Al?

* * *

 

The others had long gone home, and very few of us were still here. Zeus, Hiro, and Lucious had gone to talk to the Headmaster about finding a space for Lucious, and Klaus had retired to his own dwellings. The fog was starting to lift from my mind, and Caesar was keeping an eye out for Al. Al.. well, I don't think he stopped drinking. I was surprised that he hadn't passed out yet.

“Al, buddy, we should be getting you back to the dorms,” Caesar finally said, and Al looked up at him with bright eyes. His cheeks were turning red, and he was swaying. “You're going to feel that in the morning.” “I'm fiiiine!” Al insisted loudly, hiccuping, and Caesar turned to me with a pleading look. “Do you think you could help get him back to the dorms?” he asked, and I nodded, walking over to his side.

“Liiiz!” he cried, wrapping his arms around me. “I'm so glad you're staying for the summer~” I tilted my head, and Caesar just shook his. I took his arm and slung it over my shoulder, and Caesar took his other side.

“We're going to help you get home and get some rest,” I told him gently. “Hey, now I get to pay you back for carrying me earlier!”

Slowly, we started on the way back to the dorm. It wasn't easy, but we made a steady path. He was laughing about something, not that I could make out his words. Caesar didn't say a word, so I just let him talk.

When we got to the dorm, Caesar said a few quick words to the dormmother, and I was allowed in. And Al began to talk again when the door closed behind us.

“You're going to have so much fun this summer, Liz! I hope that they're treating you better than they treated me!” Caesar nearly dropped him on the spot, and he avoided my gaze. I knew that he was just talking nonsense, not to be taken seriously, but I had to ask. Was he referring to the way that Klaus spoke to him?

“Alfonse, what are you talking about?”

“I was once their pride and joy, you know?” he said, through his hiccups. “And then I messed everything up, like Klaus is always telling me!” He was giggling, and I set him down gently on the bed. Caesar was dead silent, slipping out of the room, and I was left to look down at Alfonse, already curling up, but he was looking up at the ceiling, talking to himself. I could have left, but something told me to stay, something told me I needed to hear what he had to say.

“Al-”

“You'd think he'd treat his big brother better!” he cried. “Not that he's seen me that way in y-yeeears. Does Elias even know I exist?”

Brother. The word hung heavy in the air, and I repeated it a thousand times. Alfonse had always looked familiar. The same golden hair, the same amethyst eyes! And hadn't he mentioned he had brothers before? Not that I would expect who his brothers were-

“Oh, _Al_."

“They'll love you, I know it!” I sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling the covers over him. “Everyone loves you so much, even Klaus can't keep away from you! You did the impossible and freed the prince! But once you're free,” his body was shaking, and I couldn't tell if he was laughing or crying, “well, it's not all it's cracked up to be..” I reached over and ran my hand through his hair, and he seemed to calm. He looked at me, and he smiled.

“Get some rest, Al,” I said quietly. “You'll feel better in the morning.”

“Liz..” he whispered, but he stopped and closed his eyes. In a few moments, he drifted into sleep. I stepped outside his room, taking a deep breath, and I saw Caesar watching me carefully, a glass of water in his hand.

“So I guess you heard,” he said at last, and I nodded.

Even though Al had confirmed it in his drunken ramblings, even though all the pieces made sense, I still had to ask, “Is he really-”

“Alfonse Goldstein, the eldest brother of Klaus and Elias?” Caesar said effortlessly, taking a sip of his water. “ _Yup_.”

We stood in silence for a long moment, and then Caesar shook his head. “Thanks for helping me take him home. You should get back to your dorm, Liz, I'll handle him from here.”

“Caesar-”

“I'll handle him,” he said firmly, and I walked away. But sleep did not come easily that night. Even though I had my answer, so many new questions had opened up.


	3. Asking Around

“Elias, can I talk to you?”

With so many questions on my mind, I decided to go to the one who was most likely to answer my questions. Elias was a good friend of mine, and, unlike Klaus, I hadn't heard him yelling at Al. In fact, I hadn't seen them interact at all.

“What do you need?” he asked, and I wasn't sure how to ask. The more I looked at him, the more I saw the resemblance.

“A few nights ago, a friend of mine got really, really drunk, and he told me a secret, and I'm not sure how to react to it, and I thought you could help.” I sat down next to Elias, and he tilted his head.

“A secret? Come on, Liz, it couldn't be that bad.”

“...He's your brother,” I said, and he was quiet for a long, long minute.

“-You met Alfonse?” I nodded.

And then he began to laugh, his shoulders shaking in hysteria.

“For so many years, Klaus told me that he was my only brother. I knew it wasn't true, no matter what he said, but- to hear that he's alive-” I put my hand on his shoulder. If he was crying, I wouldn't judge. “Is he here at the Academy?”

“Yes, he and I have been working together since a little before I became a Prefect,” I admitted. It felt like a lifetime ago that everything had happened. “I would have told you sooner-”

He shook his head. “Perhaps it's for the best. He always wanted to be free, and he got his freedom. The life of the Goldsteins was too stifling for him. Sometimes, I wish-” And he shut his mouth, but the unspoken words hung heavy in the air.

“Can you tell me what happened?” I asked. “Why did he leave?”

“..There were three of us, Alfonse, Klaus, and I; we were all really close when I was little. Whenever something happened with our parents, they would be there to step in. We all tried our best to follow their rules, but sometimes it was us against the world. I thought it would always be the three of us together.

“And then, when Al turned eighteen, things changed. Mother and Father thought it was time that Al got married. They picked a bride for him, a woman named Elaine. I guess that was the last straw for Al. I woke up one morning, and he was gone.

“None of us took it well. Father and mother pretended that he didn't exist, they threw all of their efforts into the two of us. If Klaus hadn't taken that position at the ministry, exactly as they planned, I'm not sure what they would have done.

“And Klaus.. I'd never seen him so angry as those first few days. He'd switch between yelling and pretending that Al didn't exist. He seemed to settle on the latter since then.” _'Definitely flipped back to anger since then,_ ' I thought, but I didn't say it. “I.. I almost let myself believe that he was never there-”

“I'm sorry.” I looked up to see Alfonse standing in the doorway. He was tense, and I saw in his expression that he'd heard every word. Elias sat stock still, gaping at his brother before getting to his feet. “You had to endure so much because of me, because I ran away-”

“Alfonse,” Elias said, and he raced forward, pulling Al into a hug. Al froze and then returned the hug. “It's so good to see you!”

“Elias,” he said, “I'm so sorry.”

I decided to give them a moment alone.

* * *

I decided to swing by the Night Class dorms to see how Lucious was doing. He was sitting outside, his eyes closed, basking in the sunlight.

“Hi, Lucious,” I said, sitting next to him.

“How are you enjoying being free?”

“More than you can imagine,” he answered. He was quiet for a long time, and then he spoke, “I spent more years in the Labyrinth than I spent on the surface. It was a fine castle, it had everything that I could want, but it was a prison nonetheless. And I admit that I'm.. still a little bit afraid.”

“Why?” I tilted my head.

“I suppose that it doesn't seem real yet? I feel like I'm going to wake up, and this is all going to be a dream, and I'm back in my prison, never having felt sunlight on my skin. And I think to have known freedom, but to have it all snatched away- I almost think that it would be worse than never getting freedom at all.”

* * *

 

“How dare you-”

“I was trying to apologize, Klaus.” My heart sank as I heard the voices on the other side of the door.

“How do you expect me to ever make it up to him if you won't let me near him-”

“As far as I am concerned, there is _nothing_ you can do to make it up to either one of us. I may have to put up with you because of my job, but you are not to go near him-”

I was about to step in there, I was about to tell him to back off, but then Al roared, “Klaus!” and even Klaus went silent. And then, in a shaky voice, he asked, “What if I go back?”

_“What?_ ”

“I ran away. I've been running away from them for a long time. But I want to make things right, and I will do anything, _anything_ , if it means that you and Elias will forgive me. I will.. I will go back into that prison of a home. I will play the perfect son that they always wanted me to be with a smile, or I will grovel at their feet if that's what you want. Just, please, _let me make this right_.”

I took that moment to step into the room. If they noticed me, neither of them showed it. Klaus was glaring holes in Al, but Al stood firm, chin raised, meeting his eyes. “I'll speak to them about it. But, at the first sign of trouble, _you're gone_.” And with that, Klaus turned and stormed away, and Al nearly crumpled back against the wall.

I rushed to his side, but he faced me with that bright smile, as if none of that had happened. “Hello, Liz. How much of that did you hear?”

“You're going back?” was all that I could ask, and he nodded. “After everything-”

“We're just going around in circles,” he said quietly. “I'm so very tired of running, Liz. I'm going to make things right- no matter what.”


	4. Returning Home

“Do I look all right?” Al asked for the millionth time that day.

“You look just fine, Al,” I reassured him once again. We were waiting at the entrance of the school to meet the others, and Al was fretting. He was wearing a nice outfit, and he had tried to comb down his curls.

But I could hardly blame him for being nervous, given where we were heading. My stomach was in knots thinking about meeting the Goldstein family, and I wasn't even the runaway here. “I never thought I'd see the day that I'd rather be visiting with Zeus,” I joked, trying to ease the tension, though Al didn't say a word. “Or perhaps we could be travelling with Lucy.”

“There you are.” But Al did smile as Elias came to see him, and they greeted each other with a hug. “Are you sure that you want to do this? It's not too late to turn back, you know.”

“Not sure at all, but I've got to do this,” he confirmed, and we started on our way to where Klaus was waiting for us, next to the carriage. He slightly smiled at Elias, and then he glanced at me, nodding approvingly. He and Al did not meet each other's eyes.

* * *

My jaw stopped just short of dropping as we approached the mansion; it was like a gleaming castle out of a storybook. It was taller than the Tower of Sorrow, and it seemed to go on as far as the eye could see. And a large gate surrounded the entire property. But then my gaze drifted to the woman that stood in front of the gates, and instantly I could see the resemblence. The woman had Al's golden curls and his soft features, but her smile reminded me of Elias. Winona Goldstein.

Klaus stepped out of the carriage first. Elias took my hand and helped me out of the carriage. I glanced back at Al, but he sat frozen, staring out the window. I wanted to help him, but my attention was focused on the woman in front of me.

I did my best to curtsy, smiling politely. “Mother, this is Liz Hart; I asked her to stay with us for the summer.”

“It's an honor to meet you-”

And suddenly I was swept up into a hug. “Oh, none of the formal nonsense. It's so nice to finally meet you!” Winona was talking at about a million miles per hour, smiling as bright as the sun. “Klaus and Elias have told me so much about you! I feel like you're already a part of the family!” I smiled back at her. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad. “Oh?”

Slowly, surely, Al stepped out of the carriage. With an unsteady smile, he said, “Hi, mom. It's been a long time..”

She tilted her head. “Have we met before?”

Elias had said that his parents treated Al like he didn't exist, but to hear her say it to his face.. “It's me, Alfonse, your son, remember?”

She shook her head, still smiling. “I'm sorry, dear, you must be mistaken, I only have two sons.”

Al stepped forward, but Klaus put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Mother, this is Alfonse; he's a good friend of ours from school. He didn't have anywhere to go, so I asked him to stay with us this summer. My apologies for not giving you warning sooner.”

“Oh, it's fine!” she said with a wave of her hand, smiling brightly. “Goodness knows we have enough room, and it's nice to meet your friends! Come on in, you must be starving.”

“We'll be there in a minute,” Klaus said coolly, and she went inside, and I looked at Al. He was quiet, shaking.

“She..”

“It's not that she's deliberately ignoring you,” Klaus said finally. “She's never been the same since you left. She told herself that you didn't exist so much that after a time, it seems she started believing it.” Al was quiet for a long time and sighed, running his hand through his hair.

“This is harder than I thought it was going to be,” he said so quietly I nearly didn't hear. He was shaking. “It took all my strength to face her, h-how am I going to face Father?”

Klaus gripped Al's shoulder, looking him in the eye. “Alfonse. You had the strength to live with us, to stand with us for eighteen years. There was a time that you were able to face down Father without batting an eye. I've seen your strength with my own eyes; if you can channel a fraction of that, you can face him again.”

“He's right!” I said. “You've faced down a lot scarier stuff than him, haven't you?” Without thinking, I reached over and took his hands in mine. “Besides, you're not alone; you have all of us to help you.”

He looked between me, Klaus, and Elias, and then he nodded. “Thank you. I think that I can do this.”

* * *

Winona was flitting about, making preparations for something, so it was just the four of us walking into the dining hall, where he was waiting for us. Where Al took after his mother, Walter Goldstein was so much like Klaus, but his amethyst eyes were sharper. And his eyes grew cold as soon as he saw Al.

“What are you doing here?” he sneered. “You made your choice long ago.”

Al sank to his knees, bowing his head. “I did. I ran away, and I hurt the ones that I love.” His voice was strong, unwavering, but I heard the unspoken words. ' _ I was afraid.' _ “I made a terrible mistake, and I've regretted it ever since. I came here to say I'm genuinely, truly sorry for what I did to all of you. I wanted to try to make things right in whatever way I can.”

Walter's expression never changed. “And why should I believe you?” I stepped forward, but Elias placed a hand on my shoulder, shaking his head.

“That's up to you. But I swear that I will do  _ anything  _ in my power, anything you ask of me, in order to make things right once more,” he said calmly. “If you will only give me a chance-”

“Silence.” Al immediately shut his mouth; Klaus and Elias grew tense. “I will take your words into consideration. For tonight, you can stay in the guest room; I'll tell you what I decide tomorrow. For now, leave my sight.” Al scrambled to his feet. He opened his mouth to say something and then just as quickly shut it, nodding. And then he was gone, scurrying down the hall. And Walter's gaze turned to me. “Now, who are you?”

“Sir, my name is Liz Hart; I am a Prefect at the Academy. It's a honor to meet you.” The last part came out through gritted teeth, but still.

And he smiled at me like he hadn't just been screaming at his oldest child. “I'm sorry you had to see that, Liz; please, just call me Walter. You're staying for the summer?”

“Yes.” Because I  _ certainly  _ wasn't going to leave Al here alone to deal with this.

* * *

That night was my first dinner with the Goldsteins. Not a word was spoken about Al, so the attention was focused on me instead, which was.. weird.

“So, Liz, have you been a Prefect?”

“Since about the beginning of the year,” I answered; that felt like a lifetime ago. “Klaus actually recommended me. There were a lot of missteps along the way, but I think I've been doing pretty well! I actually asked Elias and my friend Yukiya to be my Deputies.”

“Deputy, hmm?” Walter said. “Well, you seem respectable. It's nice that a young woman like you could become a Prefect if my youngest could not.” Elias was dead silent, picking at his food.

“Of course I nominated her,” Klaus said coolly. “Liz has the strongest magic that I've ever seen, possibly the greatest magic reserves in the school. And she has been putting it to good use lately.”

“That's right,” Elias piped up. “The talk around the school is that Liz freed the cursed prince from the Labyrinth beneath the school-”

“Elias, what did I tell you about believing idle gossip?” Walter said sharply, and Elias shrank back.

“It's not gossip though, it's true. Klaus can attest to that, he and..” ' _he_ _and Al were there'_ , yeah, that would go over real well, “a few of the other Prefects helped me. I couldn't have done it without them.” 

I reached into my bag, fishing out a picture that we had taken the day before we left. We'd been having lunch, and Zeus was teasing Hiro and Lucious with his plate. There were other pictures in there, but they all had to do with Al. Somehow, I thought it would easier to bring up the heir of their family's ancient rival than their firstborn.

Walter's eyes widened, and then he smiled. “Then that truly is impressive,” Walter told me. “What other kinds of wonders are you capable of, Liz Hart?”

“What my husband means to say,” Winona said gently, never losing her smile, “what do you think will be your next big project? You freed a cursed prince, what else could you do to top that?”

“Don't you think it's a little bit early?” Elias started to say, but I shook my head. Come to think of it, there was another mystery that we hadn't resolved.

“A few times at school, there was a.. creature that we kept seeing. It was small, about the size of a teddy bear, but it was alive. It claimed to be the familiar of a former Prefect, but that turned out not to be true.” The strange Taffy. Who knew what it would do now that Lucious was free?

We continued to talk for a while, and then Winona showed me to the guest room. I had a feeling that it was going to be a long summer, but one full of adventure- and heartbreak.


	5. A Compromise

You'd think strolling through the gardens of a beautiful estate would be relaxing, but my thoughts kept drifting to the man beside me.

“Did you get any sleep last night?” I asked, though the bags under his eyes already gave me something of an answer.

“Not a wink,” he said with a smile. “But I'm sure I'll rest easier tonight. For better or for worse, I'll find out my fate today. Father's asked to see me in a few hours.”

“I'm sure everything will be all right. Just gotta keep your chin up, right?” I slipped my hand into his.

“Gods, you must be so bored of all of this. You came here for a relaxing summer, and you've had to listen to my family drama..”

“It's okay, Al!” I patted his shoulder. “You're very important to me; I just want to help you in these troubling times. Whenever you need somebody to talk to, I'll be here for you.” He smiled; he had such a nice smile.

“Thank you, Liz. It means a lot to have you by my side. Oh, come here, I want to show you something.” He lead me over to a path in the garden. “It's been a long time, so I hope it's still here. Oh, watch your step, the path is steep.” He took my hand to help me, but his sight was focused ahead, so I didn't say anything. He was just helping me up?

As we climbed the path, all I saw was white. The area was filled with pure white flowers. “Look closely,” Al instructed, and I knelt down to get a better look.

“Oh wow!” In each and every flower was what looked to be a delicate, snow white dove, as though it had been carved out of the flowers, but they were part of the flowers. “These are amazing!”

“I thought you'd like them.” He knelt down next to me. “When I was little, I would come to sit and think and get away. I would take care of the flowers. I didn't come as much once I was old enough to go into the city, only to take care of them, but I still treasured those memories.” His eyes were twinkling with wonder as he spoke of his memories, a soft smile on his lips. Why was my heart beating so fast when I saw him?

“Alfonse, I-” And then I caught sight of something, rushing by too fast, and it looked so familiar- “-is that..?” I had just spoken about that creature the night before, but how could he be here?

“Is something the matter, Liz?” I shook my head. I was sure that I was just seeing things. 

“They're still in fine shape. For some reason, I thought they would have been destroyed when I left, but somebody must have been taking care of them.”

“They did a fine job,” I commented, and he was quiet.

“Nobody knew about this place though. Only me and my brothers, but.. Nevermind.” Suddenly, he turned to me and took my hand. “There's something that I wanted to talk to you about.” I tilted my head. “Liz, you've been my side through all of this trouble. You always make me smile, and I-”

“There you are!” I looked up to see Elias coming up the path towards us. “I was told to come get you, it's almost time for you to meet Father.”

Al's went wide. “How could I have forgotten?” he scrambled to his feet. “I-I can still make it, we just need to hurry.” He raced back to the mansion, still holding my hand all the way.

* * *

By the time that we made it back to the mansion, to standing in front of Walter's door, we had seconds to spare. But I still took a moment to squeeze his hand, offering my silent support, and then released his hand, before we stepped in. Elias followed us in.

Walter was standing behind his desk when we came in. To my surprise, he was smiling, not glowering. I didn't know what to think when he was happy. But I saw Klaus standing to the side, and there was something in his eyes that I couldn't place.

“You wished to see me?” Al asked, kneeling.

“I've been thinking long and hard about what to do with you. I can see that you wish to be a part of this family again; you wish to return to the way things used to be?” Al nodded fervently. “Then we will go back, as if you never left. You will continue your studies, you will pick up all you of your responsibilities as my heir-”

“Yes, yes, of course!” Al nearly leaped to his feet, his eyes alight. I have to say that I was expecting worse, and it looked like everything would be all right. Al would have the responsibilities of a Goldstein again, but he could be a family again. But all of that came crashing down with six words.

“-And, this time, you will marry Elaine.”

“ _ What?” _

My heart dropped as I heard his words, but Al was worse. Al went rigid, all the blood draining from his face. I wanted to reach out to him, to say anything, but the words died in my throat. What could I say to make this right?

“You are very fortunate, you know,” Walter continued, not moving to his eldest. “Elaine's family was willing to overlook your past transgressions, and she had not married yet. Perhaps she was so  _ devastated  _ by you leaving her behind the first time.”

“F-father, you can't be-” Elias cried out, stumbling over his words.

“That is the deal. You wish to be a Goldstein again, you will act like a Goldstein again, with all of the responsibilities that come with it. This is not negotiable.”

Al looked to his brothers for help. He looked to Klaus, who bowed his head and would not meet his eyes. Klaus glanced at me, and I saw resignation. And he turned to Elias looked back at him in desperation, a thousand words dying on his lips, all coming out in a silent, 'please'.

And Alfonse turned back to his father. And, faced with an impossible choice, what he could say but- “Yes.”

That night, I did not sleep. I stayed awake long into the night and wondered why his answer hurt so much.


	6. Goldsteins

 

I did not see Al for a few days after that. That may have been for the best. As much I wished to, I didn't know what I'd say if I saw him again.

But I couldn't just sit around and do nothing, so, after the first day, I set my mind towards finding the creature. And where better to get help than from the magical tool makers?

As I sat at lunch with Elias and his parents, I tried to figure out the best way to approach the topic. 'Hey, can I just come in and use some of your famous tools for something that may or may not be there?' Yeah, that would go over real well. “Sir-”

“I told you, just call me Walter,” he said with a smile. He seemed different at lunch; his posture was relax, and he was talking amicably. You'd almost forget the way that he treated Al.

“Walter, do you remember that creature that I spoke about before? It may have been nothing, but I believe that I spotted it in your garden a few days ago. If there is anything that you can do to help me, I would appreciate it.”

“Well, of course, we'll do anything in our power to help you!” he said with a wave of his hand. “What do you need?”

“Are there any of your tools that could help me?” I asked, sitting up a little straighter.

“I'll have Elias show you the tool room. Use anything you need.”

* * *

 

“This is where you spotted him?”

Once again, we were climbing up the path to the flower field, carrying bags of Walter's tools. The sky was robin's egg blue, and the flowers were as white as snow. But there was something different about the place, something that I couldn't quite name.

“Yeah, I saw him just beyond the fields,” I said, looking towards the horizon for any sign of movement. But all the earth was still.

And so we searched, trying out almost every tool in our bags, but our search proved fruitless. And we sat in the flower fields, trying to figure out what to do. Was I wrong, and my eyes were just playing a trick on me before? Would I ever find out what that creature was up to..?

“You know, I'm surprised that this place is in such good shape,” Elias said suddenly, looking at the flowers.

“Hmm?” I asked, tilting my head. “I thought that you were the one taking care of it? Al said that only the three of you knew of this place.”

“No, I haven't been here in  _ years;  _ I've been too busy, and I don't know anything about gardening.” He looked at me oddly.

“Then if you didn't, that means-” And I stopped as it clicked.  _ Oh.  _ “It was Klaus then-”

“Liz!” Elias bolted to his feet, and I followed his line of sight. There, only a few feet away, as clear as day, was the fake Taffy. But it took one look at us and took off running. I scrambled to my feet and chased after him, reaching for my wand.

“You're not getting away!” I cried. “Funus Captus!” But the ropes of light didn't even touch him. Elias tried casting the spell as we raced after him, we tried again and again, but he was always just out of reach, until we reached the edge and the creature was gone.

Right before the creature vanished, I caught sight of button eyes, and I heard a voice that sent chills down my spine, “Not.. ready.”

* * *

I was quickly getting used to having dinner with the Goldsteins, as awkward as that was. But, a few days after seeing the fake Taffy again, another person came to visit us.

“Hello, Liz.”

“Alfonse,” I breathed. He looked.. different. He wore a new white uniform, and his curls weren't as wild. But there were still bags under his eyes, and his smile didn't quite touch his eyes. “Are you all right?”

“I'm fine, I've just been studying hard lately,” he said, and we went into the dining room together. I considered asking Alfonse to sit next to me, but he sat next to his father, and Klaus took the seat next to him. I took the seat on Klaus's other side.

“Oh, how nice it is to see you again, Alfonse!” Winona cooed. “Klaus said that you'd be staying with us, but we've hardly gotten to know you.”

Alfonse smiled bitterly. “My apologies, I meant to see you earlier, but I've been busy with some studying. It doesn't leave much time for anything else, I'm afraid.”

“And how has your studying been going?” Walter asked. Klaus and Elias were very quiet, focused on their food.

“I think it's been going well,” he said. “I had to balance books on my head for a while, but I think that's done well for my posture.” To be fair, I noticed he was sitting up a little straighter. “Tomorrow I'll be training with spells once more, but it seemed like the tools were in use today.”

“Yes, Walter allowed me to borrow some tools in order to track down the fake Taffy.”

“Was there any progress with that?” Klaus asked, looking up at me, happy to change the subject. When I looked at him, I couldn't help but remember that it was him who had taken care of the flowers, the ones that had been so precious to Al. Who knew he had it in him?

“We did indeed spot him, but we were unable to capture him.” And so I told them the story of the day, about the encounter in the flower field, although I left out the part about who took care of the flowers.

“I'll send my men to go search the flower fields in a few days. Although, Alfonse, your lessons for tomorrow are canceled.” Al's eyes widened. “There is something else I need you to do.”

“Yes?” Alfonse asked.

“Tomorrow, Elaine is going to come to stay with us.” His cold eyes met Alfonse's, and I had a feeling that this was going to be a test.


	7. Elaine

The estate was in a fuss all the next day as they got ready for Elaine's arrival; the noise woke me up in early in the morning.

“They're going to be like this for most of the day,” Klaus commented over breakfast. “Why don't I take you out for a tour? We can stay out of the way.”

I accepted his offer. I'd traveled part of the estate with Elias and Alfonse, but that was only part of the estate. Besides, a part of me said that I didn't want to be there when Elaine showed up- or when Alfonse saw her.

* * *

 

I've never seen so many gardens in one place, I thought. It seemed like Klaus and I were walking through another one, with distinctly different flowers, every couple minutes. We stopped, and I sat on a bench, watching Klaus kneeling before one patch of flowers.

“I can see where Alfonse got his love of flowers from,” I mused without thinking and then immediately stopped myself. Well, things between Klaus and Al had been really tense when at the school, but I hadn't heard any lately. In fact, Klaus had stood up for Al a few times since we came here. 

“Klaus, can I ask you something?” He glanced up at me, and I took that as permission to continue. “I.. I once overheard you fighting with Alfonse. I know that you said that there was nothing that he could do to make it up to you. Do you still think that's true?”

He closed his eyes. “His actions have been.. unexpected.” He turned back to the plants as he spoke, twisting his hands in the flowers, as though trying to distract himself. “Alfonse gave everything up for the sake of his  _ precious _ freedom, so I could not have foreseen that he would come back and return to his duties.”

“To even be willing to marry Elaine?” I prodded. “The very person he ran away from all those years ago..”

“Indeed,” he said through gritted teeth. “If he had been this willing all these years ago, he could have saved Elias and I a lot of trouble.”

“Klaus!” I cried, and he looked up at me.

“We are nobility. We have grown up with the expectation that our futures are not ours to choose.” His words came out faster, more frantic. “When he took his freedom, he took away any chance for us to have ours. If I could have chosen-” He cut himself off, a strange, wild look in his eye, and then looked down. The flowers had been torn to shreds beneath his hands. “Well, needless to say, things would have been very different.” A thousand worlds, a thousand futures, lay in that one sentence.

What was I supposed to say to that? How was I supposed to tell him that he was wrong about Alfonse, when even he knew that he had to make a mistake?

“Yes,” he snarled, as he got to his feet, “Alfonse has returned to our family. But why should I commend him for choosing to do now what we've had no choice but to do for so long?”

We sat in silence for a long time. And, finally, I found the words. “You know, I've been through many gardens since I've been here. Has anyone ever told you have a gift for working with flowers?”

He could not meet my eyes.

* * *

 

Klaus went back to the house, to wait with Alfonse and Elias. I was about to walk with him, but I found myself standing at the gates, where Walter was waiting.

And my first thought was that she was beautiful. Long, blond hair in a soft braid and large, sky blue eyes. She smiled as she saw the gates. “It's been a long time since I've been here.”

“Thank you for coming on such short notice, Miss Elaine,” Walter said with a graceful bow. “We're honored to have you back.”

“Please, Mr. Walter, there's no need to be so formal with me,” she said, smiling. She glanced over at me. “Oh, who are you?”

“I'm Liz Hart,” I said, curtsying. “I'm staying with the Goldsteins for the summer.”

“I'm Elaine Enlan; it's nice to meet you.” She had a nice smile and bright eyes. “I hope that we can get along!” I nodded.

“My sons should be waiting for you inside,” Walter said, holding the door open for us. When we walked inside, Alfonse, Klaus, and Elias were standing, and my attention drifted to Alfonse, as usual. He was wide-eyed and frozen as he saw her.

“Hello, Alfonse,” she said.

“I- I-” Klaus gave him a gentle nudge forward, and he nearly fell flat on his face stumbling over his feet. He stood up, his face bright red, and he said, all in one breath, “HelloElaineit'snicetoseeyouagain.”

_ 'Geez, Al, you weren't this ungraceful when you were drunk,' _ I thought, but I didn't say anything.

“How have you been?” she asked. “Has life been treating you well since..”

“F-fine. I've been traveling the world, and-” He shut his mouth as he suddenly remembered that he wasn't supposed to be acting like he actually  _ enjoyed _ his freedom, his time away from his beloved family. “I'm happy to have returned to my beloved family though.”

“Elias, why don't you show Elaine to her room?” Walter said, and Elias nodded.

“Follow me.” Soon, the pair disappeared down the hall, and Walter turned to Alfonse. He shrank back, bowing deeply.

“M-my apologies, Father, I got nervous. I wanted to make a good impression on Elaine again, but I overdid it.”

“Your conduct today was unfitting of a Goldstein,” Walter snarled. “Remember that this is your second chance, this is what you wanted. There will not be a third.”

“Y-yes, father.” Klaus took me by the arm, leading me out of the hall, and I just let him take me away, let myself turn a blind eye. 'Trust me,' Klaus seemed to say when I looked at him, 'you don't want to see this.'

 


	8. Lessons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I wanted to give a warning for this chapter. Walter starts getting nasty as of this chapter; he uses magic against one of his sons.

“Liz, are you planning to go after that creature today as well?”

More and more since Elaine showed up, I found myself going out in search of the fake Taffy. Sometimes I went out with Elias or even Klaus, but they were busier and busier. Despite how many days I'd spent in the mansion, I knew I would still find myself lost if I tried to navigate it by myself.

“A creature?” Elaine looked up at me with wide eyes. I had forgotten that not everyone knew of what happened at the academy. I smiled at her.

“Oh, Elaine, why don't you go with Liz today?” Winona chirped. “You know your way around, and I'm sure you two can become fast friends.”

* * *

 

“-Into the _sun_?”

I couldn't help but smile as Elaine giggled through my stories. “I didn't know if it would actually work, but they told me to give it a try, and then there was light!” Elaine expertly wove through the grounds without even looking her; as I followed, I decided to tell her some of my stories from the academy, and then I just told more and more. By the time I got to the Sol Maiden story, I had almost forgotten what we were searching for.

“You know, Miss Hart, you're very lucky,” she said suddenly. She was still smiling, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. “Getting to go to the famous Academy, being able to go on all of these adventures, it's the kind of life that I've always dreamed of.”

“I wouldn't think there was anything you could wish for,” I told her honestly. But, then again, I had seen for myself that the life of nobility was not always one of leisure.

“I did have access to the finer things in life, but I would trade it all away, I would live in the poorest areas, if I could, if it meant I could be.. free,” she said wistfully, dancing around. “They say that my family has powerful magic, but no one will teach me how to use it. I would love to go to the Academy and sleep in the dorms and learn how to be the wizardess I was meant to be- but instead, I find myself soon to be married.”

“You do not love him?” I asked, and I knew as soon as I said it that it was a silly question. Alfonse had run away from her all those years ago; I can't imagine that it would endear him to her. And, if she was a noble.. “You had no more choice in this marriage than he did, did you?”

“Alfonse is nice enough, and I might have loved him had our marriage gone through before. But.. sometimes, I think he did me a favor when he ran away. Truth be told, I did not want to marry, not yet anyway, and I.. I never thought that I would have a choice.”

“When he was gone, there was talk of other marriages, at first, but they faded away. There was even talk of sending me to the academy, but that, of course, fell through. They looked at me like I was broken, I didn't even mind that they looked at me with pity.”

'We grew up with the expectations that our futures are not ours to choose.' Why should it be any different for Elaine?

“Miss Elaine, have you told him this? I mean, it might make it easier.” 'It might make him break off the marriage,' I suddenly thought, and I brushed it off, as quick as it had come.

“Why would I? We all have our parts to play, Miss Hart, and I think that telling him would only make his harder to play.”

She stopped in her tracks, looking straight at me. “Miss Hart, did you say something?” I tilted my head.

“No, I was just listening to you,” I reassured her. Her smile faltered. “What did you hear?”

“A.. voice. And it said something about a name that I didn't recognize.”

“What was the name?”

She shook her head, and she smiled brightly again, as though all the darkness was gone from the world. “Nothing. Let's go back, Miss Hart.”

“Please,” I said, returning her smile, “just call me Liz.”

* * *

 

Elaine decided to retire to her room for the night, so I was left with nothing to do. So I decided to check on the others.

When I stepped into the room, the first thing I noticed was that Elias was sitting and fiddling with some magical tool. Winona hovered behind him, guiding his hands when needed and whispering encouragement into his ear. She looked up at me and beckoned me in with a smile.

“Hello, Liz! Can I get you something to eat?” I shook my head.

“Don't mind me, I just came in to watch,” I said. Elias smiled and waved me over. He held up the tool.

“Do you recognize this?” he asked.

“The Finding Crystal,” I said. It was not one that was often heard of, but I knew of it. It was said to make finding any source of light magic infinitely easier. We had tried to use it with the Fake Taffy, but it was useless if the creature worked on dark magic.

“Correct,” he said, smiling. “I thought about our predicament the other day, and I thought I would be able to adjust it so that we could find your mystery creature.”

“You can do that?”

“Well, not before, but it seems that our creature is working on dark magic. I took a sample of Zeus and Hiro's magic, and if I add it to the crystal..” I watched in fascination as Elias explained the process, threading dark magic into the crystal.

“We haven't had a training session like that in a while, have we?” Al's voice floated into the room, as he and Klaus came into the room. I could have sworn Klaus was smiling. The last time that I saw them training like that, it hadn't exactly been a happy occurance. “You and me casting spells at each other, moving so fast, it almost feels like the-”

“A long training session, but not exactly a productive one,” Walter said, strolling into the room. The brothers instantly tensed at their father's words. “Klaus, you left your stance wide open once again; Alfonse, you held yourself back. How do you expect to do any damage if you can't even summon the courage to cast the spell?”

“Father, I hit with as much force as I thought was necessary,” Al protested, and Klaus nodded.

“There is nothing wrong with my form. I am able to move to defend myself and the ones I care about,” Klaus added, and he reached for his wand. Walter smiled.

“Oh? Let's test that theory.” Klaus scarcely had a moment to draw his wand before Walter flicked his, but it was not enough. “Saggita Lumen!” A piercing arrow of light shot out at Klaus, and he fell back against the wall. I immediately reached for my wand, and I saw Alfonse had his wand out in a second, a spell at his lips, but he looked over at Klaus, who shook his head. I eased myself, slipping my wand back. Alfonse walked over to his brother, helping him to his feet. Elias couldn't meet his eyes.

“Of course, I had nearly forgotten myself,” Klaus said, coughing. “I will try harder next time.”

“See that you do,” Walter said. “And, Alfonse, that is the amount of power that you should be using.” Alfonse numbly nodded, and Walter turned his attention to Elias, frozen at his tool. “Now, what are you up to?”

“I was attempting to make this crystal able to find the creature's dark magic,” he explained, raising his chin, but there was a slight falter in his voice. “I used samples of magic from the Night Class-” I glanced to Klaus and Alfonse, both standing up a little straighter, watching their youngest brother.

“And who told you you could do that?” Walter snarled.

“You asked me to help Miss Hart in her search for the creature,” Elias responded. “But the crystal only responds to light magic-”

“I know what it does, I invented it,” Walter responded coldly.

“Sir,” I cut in, and that cold gaze turned to me. I stood up a little straighter. “It's my fault. I asked Elias if he could find a way to make the crystal track dark magic.” In truth, I had no idea he was planning this, but I wouldn't stand to see Walter yell at him like this, especially when he had been helping me. “I didn't think about the fact that I would be tampering with your tools in the process. My apologies, it will not happen again.”

“I see,” he said at last. “I would ask that you not tamper with my tools again, Miss Hart. Or plant such foolish ideas in my boy's heads.” I nodded, and Elias sent me a look of gratitude. “And, Elias, next time you work with my tools, with my permission, try something a little more within your level? The Finding Crystal is still too advanced for you.”

“Yes, Father.” With that, Walter turned and left the room as quick as he had come, and I turned my attention back to the other brothers, rushing to Klaus's side. His breathing was more even now, but he was still leaning on Alfonse.

“Are you all right?” I asked, readying my wand to cast a healing spell if need be, but he shook his head.

“I shouldn't have challenged him,” Klaus said in a quiet voice. “I should have just listened.”

“I'm sorry you had to see that, dear,” Winona said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “When Walter gets into a temper like this, it's impossible to negotiate with him.”

“Are you telling me,” I snapped, “that this has happened _before?”_

“Not often, but it's not.. entirely unexpected,” Klaus admitted. Winona just shook her head, and the look in Alfonse and Elias's eyes made me sick.

And suddenly I understood very well why Alfonse had run away from this place. And I wished that I could whisk them all away. But, if I was going to be here with them, what could I do?

 


	9. Breakdown

“Somehow I had a feeling that I'd find you here.”

Alfonse knelt in the garden, unmoving. When he looked up at me, there were dark circles under his eyes. I wondered when was the last time that he slept. I took a seat beside him in the garden, and all was silent for a long time.

“Liz, I.. I can't do this.” I didn't know what to tell him, so I reached out and took his hand in my own. “I've been trying everything I could, I've been trying to play the part of the perfect son, but all I want to do is run away again. I.. I've been wishing that I never came back to this place, that I had never set foot in Gedolune again if it meant..” His words were coming out in choking sobs, and he looked to the skies.

“I can understand that,” I admitted. “Just being here makes me want to flee, and I've only been here for a few weeks. I can't imagine what a lifetime of this would have been like. I can see why you ran away.”

“Why do you stay?” he asked me, and there was something in his tone, begging me to give him a reason. He never took his eyes off of me. “You are not a Goldstein, you are under no obligation to stay here, why didn't you just leave?”

“Are you kidding me?” I blurted out. “Now that I know what you have to deal with, I can't just leave you here to deal with that! The only way that I'm leaving is if I know that you and Elias and Klaus can come with me. If I let by myself, I don't think that I could live with-” And I quickly shut my mouth as I realized what I was saying, as I saw the look in his eyes. I knew I had said exactly the wrong thing. “Not to say that there was anything wrong with you leaving, I mean you had to make a choice, and-”

“I was eighteen years old- and I was a coward,” he said quietly. “I had lived for my brothers for so long, trying to shield them from my father's wrath, and.. I got afraid, and I made a choice for myself, and I've never been able to live it down. I didn't think about Klaus or Elias, I didn't think of what they would have to endure because of me. I didn't think it could get worse. I was only thinking of myself-”

“Al-” I tried to call out, but he was lost in his own thoughts, in his own regrets. Could anything I say snap him out of it?

“What was I thinking? Everything that I had to go through, that was only for some time. While I got to travel the world, while I lived for my freedom, thinking of nobody but myself-”

“Alfonse!” I cried out, and he looked up at me. “You said it yourself, you were young and stupid, but it was just a mistake. And.. no, you cannot change that. That put a lot of responsibility on their shoulders, and.. maybe, you can't get back to the way that things were before. But you don't have to let them continue to suffer. You _came back,_ and that means something.

“I don't know if I would have had the strength to do what you did,” I said, and he looked at me. I remembered Lucious's words so long ago, when he had spoken of the Labyrinth. _'I think having known freedom- only to have it all snatched away, it would be worse than never knowing freedom at all.'_ And yet Alfonse had knowingly walked back into his own prison- because he knew that he had messed up. He had every reason to flee- and never come back. “You saw freedom, true freedom, and you gave it all away, for the sake of your brothers, so that you could make it right. I don't know a lot of people who could do that. And certainly not a lot of cowards.”

“And if I can't continue to do it?” he said quietly. “If I were to leave it all behind again, if I was to go for what I truly desire, what would you say?” He squeezed my hand, and there was something in his amethyst eyes that I couldn't place.

“I would ask what you've done with my Al,” he said, and his eyes widened, and his cheeks went bright red. “I.. I don't know what you need to do, to be honest, I don't even know what I want to do. I don't know if we can just take you all away. I wish that I could.”

“The Goldsteins are way too powerful for that,” he said quietly. “Father would let me leave and never look back, but he needs an heir. He would fight me if I tried to take Klaus or Elias away- and they would fight me too. They've lived too long in the way of the Goldsteins- do they even see what is wrong?”

“Perhaps, deep down,” I said quietly. It was hard to tell with them. “I think that they wish that they could be free as well. I just don't think they ever dared to hope for it.”

And something changed within him. He sat a little straighter, and he did not meet my eyes. “I came here to make it up to my brothers. And.. that is all that matters. No matter what I have to do, that is all that matters.”

* * *

 

I know I should have been out and searching for the fake Taffy, but I found myself sitting and watching another training session with the Goldstein brothers. Elias sat at my side, tense, as we watched Alfonse. Walter stood off to the side, never taking his eyes off of his two eldest.

“Saggita Lumen!” This time, Alfonse did not hesitate; his magic came out much stronger, and Klaus was immediately there to block it. Of course, Walter still had problems with his magic, and he had no problem expressing it, but Alfonse barely said a word, just adjusted whatever he was told. Undoubtably, he was doing better, he was improving, but I felt like something important had been lost along the way.

 


	10. The Party

“That training session was less than productive.”

I froze as I heard the sharp, scolding voice, and I hid behind a corridor. “I was doing my best-” My heart sank as I heard Elias's voice. I wanted to step in and speak to Walter, but something made me stop and listen.

“You held yourself back once again,” the voice said. “If you continue at this level, you'll never bring honor to the Goldsteins.”

“..I understand.”

I stepped out behind the corridor to say something, but my heart stopped when I saw them. Because the one who was scolding Elias wasn't Walter.

It was Alfonse.

And what could I say to that?

* * *

I didn't think I would ever get used to having dinner with the Goldsteins. Most of the time, they sat in silence, unless Walter had something to say, and then they were all ears. They had to be.

“You've been doing well in your studies, Alfonse.” Said Goldstein looked up and smiled politely. “You've risen above my expectations and not run away.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“Now that I know that you can behave yourself, I thought it was time that we had a banquet to celebrate your engagement,” he announced.

“Oh, it's been so long since we've had a party!” Winona cooed.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” said the former runaway. “Who shall we invite?”

That's right. It was only natural that there would be all sorts of celebrations to honor their engagement. The Goldsteins and the Enlans were both well-known families, and everything they did was big news. But.. for some reason, when I thought about it, I didn't feel so good..

“Liz?” I looked up, forcing a smile, as I realized Winona had been saying something to me.

“I'm sorry, ma'm, what was that?”

“Do you have anything suitable to wear?” she asked again, and I tried to smile and make conversation about dresses or something- and try not to let them see how I really felt.

* * *

“Liz, you look amazing!”

I smiled at Elaine's encouragement. It was the day of the party, and Elaine had made it her mission to help me find the perfect dress. Judging by her expression, she had succeeded. “You might just steal the show from me!”

I was sure I was blushing like crazy. I bowed my head. “Thank you. I don't know what I would have done without you.”

“No problem,” she said, waving it off. “That's what friends are for, right?” It had only been a few weeks, and yet it seemed like Elaine and I were already fast friends. And, yet, my friend who was soon going to marry Alfonse- wait, why did that bother me?

“You know,” Elaine said as we walked towards the hall, “if you play your cards right, we might just end up being sisters.” Now I was going bright red.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, and my voice came out a lot higher pitched than I expected, and my face was bright red.

“Oh, come on, I've seen the way that those boys look at you! The way that Klaus looks at you.” I hadn't noticed that at all. “You haven't had feelings for them at all?”

“I think I'd know if I was in love!” I said. “I've never felt that way for anyone.”

“No one has ever set your heart a racing? No one has given you butterflies?” As she spoke, a face appeared in my mind, but I brushed it off. That was.. impossible.

* * *

“Hello, ladies. Are you enjoying the party?”

Of all the familiar faces that we saw at the party, Klaus was the first to greet us. He was dressed all in white, and he looked quite handsome, but he didn't set my heart a racing. I nodded in polite greeting, but I noticed Elaine was smiling.

“Hello, Klaus!” she said, and they started talking, like I wasn't even there. I slipped my arm from Elaine's.

“I think I'll leave you two alone.” The pair drifted away, and I started looking for familiar faces. Quickly, I started seeing some of my schoolmates in the crowd; that made sense, given that they were nobles as well. They made their way over to me.

Lucious was the first to greet me, pulling me into a hug. “Liz, you look like a princess!” he said, and I smiled. “Who would have thought that we would meet at a place like this?”

“Surely you've been to parties before,” I said. “Didn't Zeus take you to a few of his?”

“Ugh, but the Goldsteins shindigs are always so boring,” Zeus complained, pinching his nose. “If Lucy hadn't insisted, I wouldn't have come. I suppose it is nice to see you though.”

Lucious nodded. “The parties in his kingdom are nice, but I'd rather see all of you again. Even if I don't.. know most of these families.”

“I don't know many of them either, other than my schoolmates,” I said, shrugging, and we all started to talk and reminisce. Caesar told me about his latest adventures as a pig, Hiro complained about Zeus, and I told them about my adventures in the Goldstein household. There was a bit that I left out, but I didn't think they needed to know all of that personal stuff.

“You know, I'm a bit surprised. I always thought that, if I had to see an engagement party for Al, I figured it would be between you and Al,” Caesar commented casually, in the middle of it all, and I practically jumped. That was the second time that someone had brought up me and one of the Goldsteins. Why did people think that?

“No, I'm happy for Elaine and Alfonse,” I said, smiling, and they looked at me with concern. “I have no idea what you're talking about, we're just-”

“Everyone, I would like to make a speech!” All eyes turned to the man of the hour, standing in the middle of the room, raising a glass in the air. I looked around, and I saw Elaine coming to his side, holding onto his arm. They were all smiles; they looked like the perfect couple.

“When I was young and foolish,” Alfonse started, “I made a mistake. I could not handle the responsibilities of being a Goldstein, and I ran away. I hurt the people who were closest to me, all because of my mistake. I hurt my brothers, and I hurt my dear Elaine, and I'm not sure if I can ever make up for it. And I thought that I could just ignore my mistake.” 'Oh, it's not your fault,' I thought, but I kept my silence.

“But then someone told me the truth, someone told me the consequences of my actions. And so I had to make up for it. And so I came back. And it was.. scary. I wasn't sure if my father was going to accept me, or if I could live up to expectations. But I had some wonderful people by my side.” And I could have sworn that he met my eyes, and he smiled. Was he talking about.. me? “And they accepted me, they helped me get through it all.

“And I've emerged stronger from it. I'm closer to my brothers than we were even as children, and I'm stronger than ever. I'm not going to run away again. And, with that newfound strength, I wanted to do something that I should have done a long time ago.” He set his glass down, and he turned to Elaine. “There's something that I wanted to ask you properly, Elaine.”

“Yes, my love?”

My heart was in my throat, watching them. And suddenly, I wished that I could be anywhere but here, anywhere but watching this. 'Get me out of here.' But I couldn't tear my eyes away-

He got down on one knee, and I turned away. I couldn't hear them, but I didn't need to. And, as I stood in the garden, one thing became very apparent to me.

I was in love with Alfonse Goldstein. I was in love with Al.


	11. Brothers

I hadn't come down to dinner the next night. I don't know if I could stand seeing the pair of them, sitting at the dinner, oohing and awing over their rings and confessing their love for each other, when he should have been-

No, I shouldn't have thought like that. I had known this whole time that this was going to happen, that he was going to marry her, that this was what had to happen if he was going to return to his family like he wanted. And that's what mattered, that he got back in their good graces, and it didn't matter that I was.. in love with him.

One rainy night, I was sitting in bed, feeling miserable for myself, when I heard a knock at the door. “Liz, may we speak to you?”

“I'm fine-” I said, and I looked up to see Klaus and Elias standing in the doorway. I immediately wiped my face clean and faced them. “Yes?”

“We wanted to talk to you about Al,” Klaus said. Oh, good. He ran a hand through his hair. “Have you noticed that he's been acting differently lately?”

 _'Since that day in the garden,'_ I thought, but I wasn't sure if that's what they were talking about. “Yeah, he's been- more dedicated to his studies?”

“That's just it. He's been excelling at everything that Father wants him to do, but.. this is not the Alfonse that I remember. He's like a stranger to us. He talks about the family name, he talks about making father proud, about the other noble families.”

“He scolds us in training,” Elias said, and my jaw dropped. “He's nothing more than a parrot for father.” I remembered what I had seen between Elias and Alfonse; it seemed that wasn't a one time occurrence. I wished I had stepped in.

“I'm sorry, I wish I had said something to him- or rather, that I had said something different.” Was it because of me that he had started acting this way?

“We all handled this badly,” Elias admitted, sitting down in the chair next to me. Klaus stood against the wall. “We wanted him to return home so badly that we forgot what home was like. We forgot what home did to a person.”

“We did,” I said. “You wanted for him to become a Goldstein, and so he hardened his heart and he became one.” And Klaus opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't get the words out. And Elias reached over and nudged him in the ribs.

“This.. this is not the brother that I wanted back,” he said at last. “And, if this is what happened to him, then I wished that I had never told him to come home. I.. I don't want him to be a Goldstein if it breaks him like this.”

“I don't want any of you to have to go through that,” I said. “You shouldn't have to sacrifice your self for him.”

We sat in silence for a long time; all you could hear was the rain and the rumbling thunder. Elias placed a hand on my shoulder. “Liz, are you all right?” I suddenly, ruefully, realized that he must have noticed that I had been crying, and that he wasn't going to let me brush this off.

“I.. I realized the other day that I was in love with Al,” I said at last.

“When?” he asked, a shine in his eyes.

“About the time that he was proposing to Elaine,” I admitted ruefully, and they both smiled.

“I was always rooting for you, you know. I thought that you would make a cute couple.” I smiled back at him. “I wish that things could have been different-” Klaus nodded.

Well, the question was what we were going to do about this? Were we just going to wallow in our own misery and what the Goldstein name, what Walter, did to our person? And a thought occurred to me. “Have either of you tried telling Alfonse how you feel about this? Have you told him that you regret what you did?”

Klaus laughed, a harsh and bitter sound. “Do you think that he would _listen_ to us?” Was the rain getting worse? It was hard to tell.

“Well, I've tried talking to someone fully in the Goldstein mindset,” I pointed out, “and I still found you quite amicable.” And they both went quiet at that. “You've been avoiding talking to Al about how you really feel for a long time. I doubt you admitted it, even to yourself. You are his brothers, you are the ones who are most important to him. He came back into his prison _for you._ If you told him to flee, don't you think he would listen?”

“Well, have you talked to Elaine?” I immediately shut my mouth at that, but I listened to Klaus. “It seems that you have become quite good friends with her. Has she talked to you about things with Al, about her feelings, or lack thereof, to you?” I didn't trust myself to say a word, so I just nodded. “Have you told her of your feelings for her fiancee? Or him, for that matter?”

“I don't even know if he returns them,” I pointed out, and they both laughed at that.

“That is plain to see.”

“If there is one thing that might make either of them change, it is love. The love for Alfonse has for his brothers, or the love that you have for Alfonse. That just might save the day,” Elias pointed out. “That might just save him.”

“Thank goodness, I've been looking for you!” Winona burst into the room, a frantic look in her eyes. Elias immediately rushed to his mother's side.

“Mother, is everything all right?” And my heart dropped as I heard her words.

“Elaine is missing!”


	12. Creature

Most of the estate was still unfamiliar to me, but I wasn't going to sit back while everyone was out and searching for Elaine. The rain was neverending, the thunder pounding, lightning flashing-

And then I saw her, but she wasn't alone.

“Liz, it's me!” Those words might have been comforting from anyone else, but not from that creature. “Don't you remember your old friend Taffy?”

“You are not Taffy,” I said. I came up to Elaine's side, pulling her by the arm. “Get behind me,” I ordered, but she was frozen in place. I could hardly blame her, that creature made my blood curdle. Why had I not fought him the first time that I saw him? “We should get back to the estate,” I told Elaine, “everyone's looking for you!”

“You can't go yet, not when everything's finally perfect!” the creature cried with a wicked smile. “I've been waiting and waiting for the perfect time, when your heart's are at their weakest- and your strength is at its greatest.”

I drew out my wand. “Stand back,” I said. I wouldn't listen to what it had to say. I started to pull Elaine away, but her eyes were fixed on the creature.

“How sad! You've been trying to find me all this time, and now that I've appeared before you, you run away?” How ironic.

“I wanted to know what you had in store for the innocent people. Now that I know that you were trying to corrupt Elaine, I'm free to get away from you.”

“I was just standing here, minding Taffy's own business, when she approached me! She called out to me!” Elaine was looking very pale suddenly. “May be not with her voice, but she called out all the same. The girl is at her most desperate, trapped in a marriage with a man that she does not love, denied her dream- how can I resist on that power?”

I turned my back on the creature, determined not to listen to its taunting. “Everyone's looking for you, Elaine,” I said quietly, though I wondered if she could hear me. “They're all very worried about you, we should get back-”

“Ah, yes, get back to the family that only wishes for her to be a prize,” the creature sneered. “The family that would deny her her own magical talent, would deny her dream, and treat her like a doll. Even her friend, her very best friend, at least the closest thing that she has to one, the one who she could confide all of her worries in, would turn her back on her, is content to let her be nothing than some wizard's prize.”

And she pulled her arm away from me, staring at me with wide eyes. “You were going to let me fall. I told you everything, I told you who I wanted to be- and you did nothing-”

When had I become this docile? Why had I let her go without a word? Why had I not said anything all this time, as Alfonse had suffered, as Elaine had suffered? I wanted to stand up for them, I wanted to help them, but I had done nothing- “Elaine-”

“You had everything that I could want,” she whispered. “You are the person that I could never be- why couldn't you.. why didn't you save me?!”

“Elaine-”

“Could it have been jealousy? The Sol Maiden has everything that you could desire, but you have the only thing that she could want. The only one that she desires.” This was.. not how I wanted her to find out.

“Elaine!” Could she hear me over the pounding rain? I couldn't hear anything but the creature's voice. “Elaine, listen to me!”

“Why should I?” she asked. “What have you done for me?”

“You have power, Elaine, more than you can dream, power enough to rival the Sol Maiden. No one has ever let you be who you truly wanted to be, but I can make your dream a reality.” She started to walk towards him, as if in a trance.

“And you, Liz, will you come with me? All of the power in the world at your fingertips, and you choose to sit there and _mope?_ The Sol Maiden herself, the one who has saved us so many times- oh, what you could be if you joined me..”

“What I could be?”

And, suddenly, my mind cleared. All he could do was promise what he could make us, what he could turn our power into. He said he had so much power, but it all lie within us. If he could have done anything to us, if why didn't he do anything before, when we were at our most vulnerable?

And I turned back to the creature, to the _tiny_ creature who plagued us, who thought he could offer us the world. “Why haven't you done anything?”

“I beg your pardon?” he sputtered.

“You've asked us, made us to ask of each other, what we've done, but as far as I can tell, you haven't done anything. So why should we listen to you at all?”

I saw the fog start to clear fromher expression, and I kept going at the creature. “Sure, we've made some mistakes, but, you know what? We can fix those, and we don't need you for that! The bravest person I knew made a mistake that cost him everything, and he did everything in his power to fix it, and it worked! He got everything back, and I'm going to help him get more!

“And as for my own mistakes, I was already making plans to fix that! I was going to tell Elaine everything, I was going to tell Al everything! I was going to help them with all the power that I have, which as you've already said, is quite a lot! So what do I need you for?”

“And the girl?”

“She can be whoever she wants to be!” I turned to Elaine, and I met her eyes, and I remembered a girl with magical powers but no training. A girl who had all the potential, but nobody would ever give her a chance. “Elaine, believe me, I was nobody once. When I first came to the school, I had power, but I had no idea how to use it, and everyone laughed at me. Even Elias laughed at me. I summoned frogs on Klaus's head, I made it rain candy, I was that bad,” she burst out into giggles at my words, and I kept going.

“I was eighteen years old, and I was the worst wizardess you have ever met. But somebody, a bunch of people, gave me a chance, and they helped me. And I was determined, and I kept going, and I kept going, no matter how much trouble I got into. And if Liz Hart the novice wizardess can become Liz Hart, the Sol Maiden, then you don't need that creature to become who you want to be!” I offered her my hand.

“Who will give me a chance?” she asked, and I smiled.

“I will. And I know a few others who would be happy to help.”

She took my hand.

And, as the rain began to fade, as the thunder died, I turned back to find that we were alone. The creature had been conquered.

“Do you think that we'll ever see him again?” Elaine asked, and I laughed.

“It doesn't matter,” I reassured her. “Because he's shown his true colors. And if he shows his face again, we'll just kick his butt again.” I looked over and noticed that she was shivering. Well, being out in the rain couldn't have been good for us. I linked her arm in mine. “Well, come on, we should be getting back. Everyone's looking for you.”

“R-right.”

“And.. there are definitely some things that we need to talk about.”


	13. Choices Made

“Liz! Elaine!”

I'm sure that we must have made quite a sight, coming out of all the rain and soaking wet but still grinning. Alfonse rushed up to us, throwing his arms around us, and the other two weren't far behind.

“We were so worried, it's been hours, _where have you been?”_

“It's a long story,” Elaine said sheepishly, and I shook my head. “There was.. this thing?” I noticed that Klaus took off his cloak, wrapping it around her shoulders, pulling her close as soon as Al let go.

“There will be time to recap it all later,” I said; I wondered if we should have this discussion inside? “Suffice to say, the fake Taffy won't be bothering us any longer.” They stared at us with wide eyes, and we burst into little giggles. How were we going to tell this story? “But.. before that, there's something that we need to talk to you about.”

“Yeah, there's something that I wanted to talk to you about too, Elaine,” Al said. “I realized something, when you two didn't come back. My brothers helped me realize something.”

“How about we say it at the same time then?” she asked, and he nodded. They counted to three, and then..

“ _I don't want to marry you.”_

They both stepped back, and then Elaine broke out into a smile. “I'm sorry, Alfonse, but marriage is just not what I want right now. I want to learn to become a great wizardess. Though, I'm curious, what is it that you realized?”

“-T-that you're not the one that I wanted to marry.”

“We'll have some explaining to do when we get inside, won't we?” Elias said with a sigh. But I had a feeling, whatever was coming up, we could face it.

* * *

A few hours after I was thoroughly dry and had sufficiently explained the Taffy story, Alfonse came to me. “Klaus and Elias have invited us out for dinner tonight,” he explained. “There's another banquet planned, but since that one's for my engagement, I'd rather not go.” He was smiling even as he talked of his broken engagement, so I presumed that was a good sign.

“Sure, I'd love to go!”

 

I have to admit, I was a little bit nervous when they started ordering drinks. The last time I'd seen Al get drunk, he'd confessed he was a Goldstein. But, come to think of it, I don't know if I had ever seen Klaus get drunk. Or Elias.

“Well, I propose a toast!” Alfonse said, raising his glass. “To not getting forced into marriage!” We raised our glasses, and they happily downed theirs.

“Now, Liz, can you finally tell the story of what happened earlier?” I nodded, and I began the story of finding the creature, of the confrontation in the rain. And they listened in wonder and drank.. and drank. I decided to put my own drinks aside, just in case I needed to carry someone home.

When I finished my tale, Alfonse laughed. “Wow, Liz, you're amazing! You defeated Taffy and saved Elaine all by yourself, and all I got was a stern talk by my brothers!”

“Yooou were acting like a jerk, Liz was acting like a hero,” Klaus said. I was trying not to laugh, but Klaus was definitely slurring his words. He was trying not to lean in against the table.

“I seem to recall someone practically grovelling in apology,” Elias reminded Klaus. He was sitting upright, a twinkle in his eyes as he sipped from his drink. “You were on your knees and everything. You should've been there, Liz.”

“Shaddup!” Klaus hissed. “I said I was sorry, didn't I? Why'd you go and say that? Would you like me to tell Liz about the time that you set the classroom on fire-”

“You're thinking of Zeus,” Elias reminded, shaking his head. “Liz was there, remember?” I looked over at Al, who was watching his brothers and laughing, clapping. I wondered if I should stop them, but it was also kinda amusing to watch.

“Nah, Zeus was too busy protecting his precious prince,” Klaus said, batting at the air, knocking over a few glasses. “Whoops. Do I pay for that?” Elias just shook his head, resting his face in his hands. “I'm sure it'll be fiiine.”

“If you pass out, I'm not carrying you home,” Elias said at last.

“How are you staying so calm?” Klaus asked Elias accusingly. “You've drunken more than me!”

Elias looked over at me, and I decided not to answer. If I told Klaus that Elias and Yukiya had regularly drank together, I'd have a very angry Goldstein on my hands. “Some of us,” he said smoothly, “can actually handle our alcohol.”

“Have you been practicing?” Klaus asked. “You're the baby of the family, you shouldn't be drinking!” Elias rolled his eyes. “If Luca made you, I'll get the ministry on him!”

Al burst out into drunken giggles at his brothers, and I came back to my senses, turning my attention back to him.

“It wasn't just me,” I told him gently. “Elaine was there too, and she also fought off the creat-”

“Uugh, Elaaine,” Al groaned.“Everyone keeps telling me how great Elaine is, how lucky I'd be to marry her, but I don't wanna marry her!”

“Hey, you would be lucky to have Elaine!” Klaus snarled, jabbing a finger at Al. “If I had a chance to marry her, I would!”

“As if that wasn't obvious,” Elias said, rolling his eyes.

“Klaauus, I would rather marry Liz!” Al said brightly, and I nearly choked as I heard his words. “Elaine's pretty, but I love Liz!”

Did Al really say that? “I _beg your pardon?”_

“He said he's in love with you!” Klaus said loudly, and I'm sure my face was bright red. I knew that I loved him, and.. they told me that he loved me, but to suddenly hear it-

Oh god, he was climbing on top of the table. “Al, what are you doing?” I asked, and Elias pulled Klaus back so he didn't fall into him. I scrambled to my feet, and I wasn't sure if I should pull him down or-

“I don't want to marry Elaine!” Al shouted to the entire bar. All eyes were on him. “I WANT TO MARRY LIZ HART!”

“Alfonse!” I said, and my voice came out as a squeak. Were all eyes on me now? “Al-”

Al got down off the table, and he was laughing now, and I even heard Klaus burst into laughter. “Fiiinallly, he said it!” Elias was just shaking his head.

“What do you say, Liz?” Al asked, and I took one look at him and I knew the answer.

“Al, I love you too,” I said, and I heard cheers from the rest of the bar. I'm sure my face was bright red, but Al pulled me into a hug.

“I'm so happy for you,” Klaus said, and he was smiling, and even Elias was smiling. “My brother and Liz, what a perfect pair.”

* * *

 

The next morning, I went to check on Al. As he sat up, I offered him a glass of water. He looked up at me with bleary eyes. “Feeling any better?” I asked gently.

“I feel like I got hit by a train,” he murmured, taking my glass of water and drinking. “What happened last night?”

“We went out to a restaurant, and you and your brothers got drunk,” I said plainly. “I thought that you were bad when you got drunk, but Klaus was a sight to see. Who knew that he could gossip so much?” I giggled at the memory. Klaus had asserted his ideas on what was going on with Zeus and Lucious, as well as a theory or two about how to break Caesar's curse. “He even tried to tell me that the fake Taffy was actually the headmaster!” Al just shook his head.

“Where does he get these ideas?” he asked with a sigh.

I couldn't resist poking a bit of fun at him. “Of course, you were pretty cute too~” He went bright red, sputtering. “You got on top of a table and confessed your love to me in front of everyone.”

“Oh gooood,” he cried, burying his face in his hands. “Please tell me Klaus and Elias didn't see that. They'd never let me live it down.”

“Yes, they did. Well, they saw it, Klaus was probably too drunk to remember that though.” Al let out a muffled groan, but I reached over and tilted his chin up so he'd meet my eyes. “It's all right though, because they also saw me tell you that I loved you as well.”

“You did?” he asked, eyes shining, and I nodded. “C-could I hear it again? I don't doubt you, I just.. I just need to hear it.”

I smiled at him. Now that I knew, it seemed so easy. How could I have ever thought that it would turn out any different? “I love you, Alfonse,” I said plainly, and he burst out into a big grin.

“I love you too.”


	14. Resolution

It had only been a day since Al and I had confessed our love for each other, and it still seemed like a dream. The three brothers were sitting together in Al's room, and Al had his arms wrapped around me, my head on his shoulder. It felt like a dream, but there were still some things that we had to figure out, and that's why we were here.

“Father isn't going to be happy that I broke off the engagement,” Al said at last. “And, if he knew it was for you, Liz, his favor would quickly turn against you.”

“If he tries to break the two of you up,” Klaus assured us, “he'll have to answer to the two of us. I've let him hurt my brothers for far too long, and I will not stand aside any longer.” Al was quiet, disbelieving. Beside him, Elias nodded.

“You have my support as well. We've come too far to lose you again.”

“B-but marrying Elaine was the condition for coming back into the Goldstein family-”

“Then forget the Goldsteins.” Of all the people in the world, I least expected to hear that from Klaus. “I once told you that the only way that you could fix things was by coming back to the family. But now I see the consequences of that action; you nearly lost yourself in trying, and I don't want to see that happen again.” Klaus raised his chin as he faced his brother. “If that it what means to be a Goldstein, then it's best to leave it all behind.”

Al was quiet for a long moment, and then he looked up, determined, facing his brothers. “The Goldstein name doesn't matter to me, not anymore, but you do. If I go, will you come with me?”

* * *

Trouble came that very same night. There was supposed to be a big dinner that night, with a bunch of noble families. But, as you can imagine, it didn't quite go according to plan. As I was coming in from fetching something, I saw Walter storming up to Al. I moved to stand in front of him.

“Miss Hart, please step out of the way, I need to speak to my son,” he said; his tone was cool, but I could tell that he was broiling with rage.

“Anything that you can say to him,” I answered, “you can say to me.”

“I was going to ask my _son_ ,” he spat, “while Lady Enlan has just informed me that he has broken off his engagement?” I could see Al was about to shrink back in fear, so I reached out and took his hand, letting him know I was here. And Walter's gaze shifted to our hands, and his expression turned dark. “I see,” he snarled. “All that progress we made, and you throw it all away for this.. girl?”

“I could not in good conscience be the son you wanted me to be,” he said proudly. “You wanted me to marry Elaine, but Liz has my heart.”

Walter's face was starting to turn red. “I gave you a chance to be a Goldstein again, and you ruined it, you ungrateful child. Get out of my house; you will never see your brothers again-”

“And what makes you think we would want to be Goldsteins after all the crap you pulled?” Right on cue, Elias and Klaus came out of the dining hall, and they were not alone. I gave my best smile as I saw my friends with them.

“Honey, what's going on here?” Winona asked as she slipped to Walter's side. Al's grip on my hand tightened when he saw his mother, but he didn't say anything. Walter's gaze turned to me, but I did not flinch. I had faced that creature, I could face a Goldstein.

“How dare you,” he snarled; I doubt he saw the others here, trying to assess the situation. “I let you into my house, treat you as a guest, and this is how you repay me? You seduce my eldest, and you steal all of my sons from me?”

“Seduce?” I heard from the others, and then Zeus burst into laughter. “No way, you two actually got together!” I glanced over, and I noticed the others were smiling.

“How wonderful!” Lucious cheered, and Caesar nodded.

“Well, I believe it's time we take our leave,” Al said coolly, and his brothers nodded. Hand in hand, we started walking to the door-

And Walter screamed after us, “Where do you think you're going? You're nobody without the Goldstein name-”

“Sounds good enough for me,” Klaus said coolly, never looking back. “Maybe now I can finally become a professor.”

“Hey,” Zeus jogged up to us, “if you need a place to stay, there's more than enough room at my castle for you guys for the summer. I'm sure my parents would be _happy_ to hear about what it's actually like to be a Goldstein.”

“I'm sure the Baroque family would as well,” Caesar said with a wink.

“Klaus, Elias, you take one step out of that door, and you'll regret it-” I looked, and Walter had his wand out. I was about to draw out my own wand, but someone else reacted first.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” Lucious said, and his necklace was starting to glow. “You hurt them, and I'll turn you into a pig!” Walter went bone pale and dropped his wand. Lucious nodded. “Good. Now, we'll be on our way~”

And, with that, we left the Goldstein manor, and we never looked back.

 


	15. The Harts

It had been a few days since we had arrived in Zeus's castle, and we were settling in quite nicely. After the initial excitement had died down, all of us were settling down to tea in Al's room. It felt like it had been forever since we had all been together like this.

“So, now that you've gotten used to the place, what do you think?” Zeus said with a big grin.

“Not bad. Not what I expected from someone like you, Zeus,” Klaus said. “Although the tour was a bit extensive.”

“I'll say!” Lucious piped up. “You made this place seem more extensive than the Labyrinth.”

“I wanted to make sure it was nice for everyone to stay here,” he said, still grinning. “After all, who knows if our guests might want to invite someone over themselves?”

“Yeah, I think Klaus would be very excited to invite Elaine over,” Elias said with a smirk.

“As long as Elias doesn't invite Luca over to have drinking parties,” Klaus snapped back.

“So, Al, how's unpacking coming?” Caesar asked. “Were you able to bring much from the estate?”

“I wasn't able to take as much as I would like, but I was able to find a few things. Actually, that reminds me!” Al's eyes lit up, and he reached over to one of the boxes and pulled out a book. “I found these while I was going through my boxes, and I thought everyone might want to see them.”

One look at the photos, and I could scarcely contain my laughter. “Are those baby photos of _Klaus?”_ I must've said it a bit too loudly, because all eyes were on us. And, certainly, Klaus heard it, bolting to his feet.

“Oh, I'm sure that we would all love to see those!” Caesar said as we crowded around his book. Zeus and Hiro nearly ran over, and I admit I was craning my neck to see. It was strange to see how proud Klaus had been so innocent as a baby.

Klaus bolted to his feet. “Alfonse!” he bellowed. “Don't you dare-” Elias nearly fell out of his chair laughing at his brother.

“See, wasn't he the cutest little baby?” Alfonse cooed, showing off each of the pictures, oblivious to their laughter. “He was such a messy eater when he was little~”

I looked up at Klaus, who was starting to turn bright red. “Alfonse, you're..” Al looked up, tilted his head, and just gave him a smile, flipping to another picture. Suddenly, Klaus leapt forward, trying to snatch the book from his hands, but Alfonse didn't even look up from the book as he sidestepped him, cooing over the next photo. As a result, Klaus fell to the floor. I may have laughed a little.

“Oh, Klaus, are you all right?” Al asked, reaching down to help him to his feet. “Oh, you've got something on your face-”

I may have laughed a little.

* * *

After a long time, Alfonse agreed to put the baby photos away, and the others retired to bed, so it was just me and Al up. Now I could give him his gift.

“I know that you weren't able to take much from the manor, but I wanted to save something of your memories.” I sat down in front of him, pulling out the item. I had managed to take a few flowers from Al's garden, preserving them in a flower pot. His eyes lit up as he saw them.

“Thank you, Liz,” he said. “That means a lot.” I giggled, placing my head on his shoulder. Now the weariness was starting to catch up to me.. He smiled at me, running his hands through my hair. “If you're sleepy,” he said gently, “you should go to bed.”

“It's not often that we get moments like this anymore though, is it?” I asked. I was tired, but it was nice to be with him. I never thought it would be like this. “W-we almost didn't get to be like this. I almost lost you to the Goldsteins.”

“I know, but I'm never going back,” he assured me. “None of us ever have to go back again. There's nothing left for us there.”

“Now you get to be whoever you want to be,” I said.

“Speaking of which, there's something that I wanted to ask you.” I turned to look at him. “I was talking with Klaus and Elias about our last name. Since we can't be Goldsteins anymore,” his face was turning red, “we wondered if it would be all right if we took your last name?”

I tilted my head. “The brothers Hart, eh?” In all honesty, the idea was nice. I didn't see any reason why not. “I wouldn't mind. After everything, I feel closer to you all than ever.”

“That's one good thing that came out of all of this then,” he agreed. “After all this time, we're a family again. Funny how that happens, isn't it?”

And to think it all started with freeing a prince from his prison. Who would've thought we'd find our freedom along the way?


End file.
